''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' is a

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...

audio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

series based on the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

programme ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. It sees the return of

Paul McGann Paul John McGann (; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial ''The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), then starred in the dark comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987), which was a ...

reprising his role as the

Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film ''Doctor Who'', a back-door pilo ...

from the 1996 television movie.

History

In 2001,

became involved with Big Finish Productions producing adventures as the

, a role he originated in the 1996 TV movie ''

'', as part of their ongoing '' Main Range''. However, in 2007, due to the popularity of several of these titles on

BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...

(now known as

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...

), the BBC partnered with Big Finish to produce a series called ''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' for BBC Radio 7 beginning with ''

Blood of the Daleks ''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the Television in the United Kingdom, British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It sees the return of Paul ...

'', co-starring

Sheridan Smith Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), ''Two Pints o ...

as the Doctor's latest companion

Lucie Miller Lucie Miller is a character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC7 based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She is a co ...

and featuring a guest appearance from a then fairly unknown

Hayley Atwell Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (born 5 April 1982) is a British and American actress. Born and raised in London, Atwell studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and made her stage debut in a 2005 production of James Kerr's translation ...

. This range would go on for a further three seasons of stories, with Lucie initially departing in the 2009 Christmas special ''

Death in Blackpool ''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It sees the return of Paul McGann reprising his role as the Eighth Doctor from the 1996 tel ...

''. The fourth season brought in

Niky Wardley Nichola Petra "Niky" Wardley (born 11 August 1973) is an English stage and screen actress. Her most notable role is schoolgirl Lauren Cooper's sidekick in the BBC's Emmy and BAFTA-nominated sketch series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007 ...

as the Doctor's new companion

Tamsin Drew This is a list of fictional characters who were companion (Doctor Who), companions of the Doctor (Doctor Who), Doctor, in various Doctor Who spin-offs, spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fict ...

and reintroduced

Carole Ann Ford Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of ''The Day of the Tr ...

as the Doctor's granddaughter

Susan Foreman Susan Foreman (also known as Susan Campbell in spin-off media) is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Caro ...

from the original television series, with Sheridan returning as Lucie later in the season. The range concluded in 2011 with the fourth season finale ''To the Death'', which saw the deaths of both Lucie and Tamsin in a grim ending for the Doctor. After the original end of ''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'', November 2012 saw the return of the Eighth Doctor in a new boxset entitled ''Dark Eyes'' starring McGann alongside

Ruth Bradley Sharon Ruth Bradley is an Irish actress. She is best known for playing Emily Merchant in ''Primeval'' (2011) and Karen Voss in ''Humans'' (2015–18). She has also had recurring roles in ''Legend'' (6 episodes, 2006), ''The Innocence Project'' ...

as new companion

Molly O'Sullivan Mary "Molly" O'Sullivan, later Mary Carter, is a fictional character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', played by Ruth Bradley (mainl ...

. The box set was a commercial success and won the BBC Audio Drama award for Best Online or Non-Broadcast Drama. This led to the commission of three further box sets continuing the ''Dark Eyes'' saga starting in 2014, which starred McGann and Bradley and introduced a second companion in

Liv Chenka This is a list of fictional characters who were companions of the Doctor, in various spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series, '' Doctor Who''. A Amy Amy, portrayed by Ciara Janson, is a compani ...

, played by BAFTA TV Award nominated actress

Nicola Walker Nicola Jane Walker (born 15 May 1970) is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama '' Spooks'' (2003–2006 and 2009–2011 ...

. Due to Bradley's limited availability, Molly was written out at the end of the third volume, though the character returned once more in the fourth volume played by

Sorcha Cusack Sorcha Cusack (; born 9 April 1949) is an Irish television and stage actress. Her numerous television credits include playing the title role in ''Jane Eyre'' (1973), ''Casualty'' (1994–1997), ''Coronation Street'' (2008) and ''Father Brown'' ...

. Following the success of ''Dark Eyes'', the multi-volume boxset format was used extensively, starting with the four-part saga ''Doom Coalition'' from 2015 to 2017. McGann and Walker reprised their roles as the Eighth Doctor and Liv Chenka respectively, and were joined by new companion

Helen Sinclair This is a list of fictional characters who were companions of the Doctor, in various spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series, '' Doctor Who''. A Amy Amy, portrayed by Ciara Janson, is a compani ...

, portrayed by

Hattie Morahan Harriet Jane Morahan (born 7 October 1978) is an English actress. Her roles include Sister Clara in ''The Golden Compass'' (2007), Gale Benson in ''The Bank Job'' (2008), Alice in ''The Bletchley Circle'' (2012–2014), Ann in ''Mr. Holmes'' ( ...

. It also featured the return of

Alex Kingston Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston (born 11 March 1963) is an English actress. Active from the early 1980s, Kingston became noted for her television work in both Britain and the US in the 1990s, including her regular role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday in ...

as River Song in a recurring capacity, marking the first time elements from the revived iteration of the parent series ''Doctor Who'' appeared. ''Doom Coalition'' was followed by two more four-part sagas starring McGann, Walker, and Morahan as the Doctor, Liv, and Helen, which were entitled ''Ravenous'' (2018-2019) and ''Stranded'' (2020-2022). The end of ''Stranded'' depicted Liv's departure from the TARDIS, though it left a narrative gap for more adventures with the trio in the future. Alongside the box sets with Liv and Helen, in 2017 Big Finish Productions began a new strand of stories set much later in the Eighth Doctor's life at the onset of the Time War. ''The Eighth Doctor: The Time War'', as it was called, served as a prequel to ''

The War Doctor The War Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by the English actor John Hurt. Although he precedes Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the sh ...

'' and drew from the depiction of the Eighth Doctor in the 2013 minisode "

The Night of the Doctor "The Night of the Doctor" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was made available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on 14 November 2013, as part of the BBC One lead-up to the show's 50th annivers ...

", which had marked McGann's first reprisal of the role on television since 1996 and also mentioned audio companions Charley, Lucie, Tamsin, and Molly on screen for the first time. The series starred McGann alongside

Rakhee Thakrar Rakhee Thakrar (born 29 February 1984) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Shabnam Masood in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2014–2016) and Emily Sands in the Netflix comedy-drama ''Sex Education'' (2019–2021). She also ...

as his companion Bliss, and ran for four volumes through 2020. Additionally, two one-off box sets were released which featured the return of Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller in 2019 and India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard in 2022 and were each set during their original runs. In May 2020, Big Finish announced the Main Range would conclude in March 2021 and subsequently replaced with regular releases of each Doctor's adventures continuing in their own respective ranges. A previously released special title from 2003 and all the boxset series with the Eighth Doctor were united under the umbrella banner of ''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' as part of this change. Two new standalone boxsets ''What Lies Inside?'' and ''Connections'' were announced for release in 2022, which featured the returns of McGann, Walker, and Morahan as the Doctor, Liv, and Helen.

Cast and characters

Notable guests

* Seán Carlsen as Narvin *

Sylvester McCoy Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the lon ...

as The Doctor * Tim McMullan as The Eight *

Michael Jayston Michael James (born 29 October 1935), known professionally as Michael Jayston, is an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He has also made many television appearances, which have include ...

The Valeyard The Valeyard () is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, ''Doctor Who''. He is described by the Master as an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker sides from between his twelfth and final incarn ...

Terry Molloy Terry Molloy (born 4 January 1947) is an English actor. He is known predominantly for his work on radio and television, especially his portrayal of Davros, creator of the Dalek, Daleks, in the BBC television science fiction series ''Doctor Who ...

Davros Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...

Ken Bones Ken Bones (born 11 June 1947) is an English actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Career Theatre Bones trained at RADA between 1971 and 1973, where he won the Honours Diploma, the Ronson Prize, the Kendal Award, the Poel ...

as The General *

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishman ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

Jon Culshaw Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy '' Dead Ringers'' since 2000. Culshaw has voiced a number of characters for ITV shows including ''2DT ...

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and p ...

* Michelle Livingston as Deeva Jansen *

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

as Drax

Episodes

''The Eighth Doctor Adventures''

Special (2003)

Series 1 (2007)

The first series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures began with ''Blood of the Daleks'', a two part story spread across two separate releases and showcasing a more violent approach.

Series 2 (2008)

Series 3 (2009)

Series 4 (2009–11)

Special (2010)

''Dark Eyes''

Series 1 (2012)

Series 2 (2014)

Series 3 (2014)

Series 4 (2015)

''Doom Coalition''

Series 1 (2015)

Series 2 (2016)

Series 3 (2016)

''Doom Coalition 3'' was released in September 2016 and is directed by Ken Bentley.

Series 4 (2017)

''Doom Coalition 4'' was released in March 2017 and is directed by Ken Bentley.

''The Eighth Doctor: The Time War''

Series 1 (2017)

Series 2 (2018)

This was the final box set to feature

Jacqueline Pearce Jacqueline Pearce (20 December 1943 – 3 September 2018) was a British film and television actress. She was best known for her portrayal of the principal villain Servalan in the British science fiction TV series ''Blake's 7'' (1978–1981), ...

as Ollistra before her death in September 2018.

Series 3 (2019)

Series 4 (2020)

This box set features

reprising his role of the General, a character who appeared in the Fiftieth Anniversary special "

The Day of the Doctor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" in 2013 and made one final appearance in the

Series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network in Australia. The series was produced by Kids Like Us for Nine with Helena Harris as executive producer. This was t ...

episode "Hell Bent" in 2015.

Series 5: ''Cass''

Series 6

''Ravenous''

Series 1 (2018)

Series 2 (2018)

Series 3 (2019)

Series 4 (2019)

''Stranded''

Series 1 (2020)

Featuring the first appearance of Tania Bell (

Rebecca Root Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

), the first

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

companion in any ''Doctor Who'' media.

Series 2 (2021)

Series 3 (2021)

Series 4 (2022)

''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' (continued)

''The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller'' (2019)

Announced in August 2018, this series is set between the first and second series of audio adventures.

''Charlotte Pollard – The Further Adventuress'' (2022)

''What Lies Inside?'' (2022)

''Connections'' (2022)

''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' 2023A

Two boxsets have been scheduled for 2023. Very few details have been revealed including casting details though McGann is expected to return. The first is scheduled for November 2023.

''The Eighth Doctor Adventures'' 2023B

The second is scheduled for December 2023.

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eighth Doctor Adventures, The Audio plays based on Doctor Who Big Finish Productions Doctor Who spin-offs Eighth Doctor audio plays